With more than one million page views and more than 4,000 items, this blog provides news and commentary on public policy, business and economic issues related to the $3 billion California stem cell agency, officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM). David Jensen, a retired California newsman, has published this blog since January 2005. His email address is djensen@californiastemcellreport.com.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

California's $46 million effort to lure
stem cell research stars to the Golden State was expanded today by
another $23 million.

Directors of the stem cell agency
approved the funds on a 14-4-1 vote. CIRM directors Jeff Sheehy and
Francisco Prieto were among those opposing the move. Prieto declared,

“We are coming up against finite resources. We have better ways to spend
our money."

Sheehy said that CIRM is contributing to inflation in stem cell science with its lucrative recruitment grants.

Those supporting the expansion said that the grants have had a great impact on the field, not only bringing in individual scientists, but accompanying researchers in their labs along with grants from other sources.

The additional funds will go to
institutions that have not already benefited from one of the earlier
grants in the program. Up to four awards are expected to be made.

The CIRM staff proposal on the plan
said,

“A number of California institutions
have not yet been able to secure a confirmed Research Leadership
award but would benefit greatly from the recruitment of emerging or
established leaders in stem cell biology. Participation in the CIRM
program could bring additional, exceptional researchers to
California, strengthen and synergize with other efforts to build up
local sustained research communities in stem cell biology and
medicine and provide ongoing leadership at the cutting edge of
California regenerative medicine.”

All of the California institutions
involved with the winning researchers have representatives on the
governing board of the stem cell agency. They are not allowed, however, to vote
on grants to their institutions or researchers -- only on proposals such as today's $23 expansion.

Applications are due in January with
final approval scheduled for next May. The program is not open to
businesses.

About Me

The California Stem Cell Report is the only nongovernmental website devoted solely to the $3 billion California stem cell agency. The report is published by David Jensen, who worked for 22 years for The Sacramento Bee in a variety of editing positions, including executive business editor and special projects editor. He was the primary editor on the 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning series, "The Monkey Wars" by Deborah Blum, which dealt with opposition to research on primates. Jensen served as a press aide in the 1974 campaign and first administration of Gov. Jerry Brown. (Time served: two years and one week.) He writes from his sailboat on the west coast of Mexico with occasional visits to land. Jensen began writing about the stem cell agency in 2005, noting that it is an unprecedented effort that uniquely combines big science, big business, big academia, big politics, religion, ethics and morality as well as life and death. The California Stem Cell Report has been identified as one of the best stem cell sites on the Internet. Its readership includes the media (both mainstream and science), a wide range of academic/research institutions globally, the NIH and California policy makers.